


Five times Julian needed Barry and the one time he didn’t (but Barry was there anyway)

by Taliesin_niseilaT



Series: Flashes [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 5+1 Things, BDSM, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Rough Sex, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9200150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliesin_niseilaT/pseuds/Taliesin_niseilaT
Summary: 1. Julian’s on the world’s most boring stake-out.2. Julian calls in sick on a rainy December morning.3. ‘Dinner is cancelled!’4. Being on Team Flash paints a target on Julian’s back.5. Julian’s been sad all day.6. 'I had that, Allen!’





	1. Julian’s on the world’s most boring stake-out.

1.

 

Julian’s on the world’s most boring stake-out. Oh dear god, make it stop. Team Flash has been tailing a metahuman suspect for a week but Alistair Wesson is either actually a good guy or a criminal mastermind, because they haven’t caught him doing anything but lead a spectacularly boring suburban life. Barry, the speedforce coursing through his veins, has very little patience for such shenanigans, and so Julian has been in this car for hours on end and nothing has happened. He texts Barry to alleviate the boredom, occasionally trading insults because it’s what they’re used to doing.

 

_why am I stalking him, Allen_

_this guy is literally doing a crossword puzzle while his husband cooks_

_it’s so domestic I’m gonna die_

_I’m telling you he’s not a villain_

**He was the victim of four robberies and a kidnapping in two weeks’ time, Julian. No one’s that unlucky. There’s something shady going on.**

_I hate you for making me do this_

_Wesson hasn’t done anything remotely interesting all his life, let alone in the past week_

_what are you doing right now_

**Um. I’m watching a movie. All’s quiet on the metahuman front.**

_you’re telling ME!!_

_I’ve been telling you all’s quiet FOR HOURS_

_you’re a terrible person_

_when can I go home_

**Cisco will take over at midnight.**

_ughhhh_

_I hate you Allen_

‘I hate you too,’ Barry says, appearing in the passenger seat of Julian’s car with a big smile. Julian’s hard look softens instantly. ‘What took you so long?’

‘Well, this stake-out is boring as fuck.’

Julian glares at him. ‘You don’t say.’

‘But I can keep you company until Cisco shows up in about an hour.’

Julian reaches out and takes Barry’s hand. ‘All right, then.’


	2. Julian calls in sick on a rainy December morning.

2.

 

Julian calls in sick on a rainy December morning. Barry sends him three more texts than would be appropriate but gets no reply. Joe hasn’t heard from him either, so Barry takes his lunch break as soon as possible and flashes over to Julian’s apartment. He knocks on the door and hears a faint, ‘It’s open.’ Julian is on the couch, buried underneath blankets, water and Kleenex within easy reach. He’s coughing something awful, his eyes and nose are red and when Barry rushes over to take his hand, it feels clammy. ‘Barry,’ Julian croaks, ‘I don’t feel so good.’

‘Oh, Jules. Have you seen a doctor?’

‘No, I... I’m not really up to driving right now.’

‘I can get you there in a second.’

Julian looks up at him. ‘I don’t think my stomach could take it.’

Barry puts his hand on Julian’s forehead, remembering his mother doing the same for him as a kid. ‘You’re burning up. Can I drive your car?’ Barry knows Julian doesn’t let anyone drive his car, but this is an emergency. He’s certain Julian is sick when he agrees and lets Barry pick him up and carry him to the door without complaint. Julian’s normally not so keen on being manhandled, though he loves how strong Barry is.

 

They’ve been in the waiting room at Julian’s doctor’s office for an hour when Joe calls Barry. ‘Singh’s asking for you, Barry. I said you’d be back from lunch any minute now.’

‘Shit,’ Barry says, ‘Work.’ He looks at Julian, who has a little more colour in his cheeks now. ‘It’s fine, go. You don’t need to get in trouble for me. Leave the car keys though.’ The doctor calls Julian in just as Barry pecks him on the lips, says ‘I’ll be back right after work,’ and disappears.

 

True to his word, Barry arrives at Julian’s at seven o’clock that evening. He finds Julian asleep in bed, so he leaves a note reading _I’m here, Jules, just give me a shout X_ and starts cooking a light dinner. There are meds on the counter, Barry notices, that point to his boyfriend having bronchitis. He’s not worried about contamination because his immune system burns through bacteria a mile a minute, but Julian will probably have to take a week off.

 

‘Barry?’ Julian sounds weak and unsure.

‘Yeah!’ Barry calls out, turning off the stove so the pasta dish he’s making doesn’t burn. Julian is sitting up in bed, looking pale and tired. ‘How are you feeling?’ Barry asks, sitting down next to him.

‘Bad,’ Julian says, ‘Bronchitis.’

‘I figured.’ Upon seeing Julian’s confused look, he clarifies, ‘Your medication.’

‘Such a clever man, Allen,’ Julian says before his next coughing fit. Barry smiles, wrapping an arm around Julian and hugging him. ‘Do you want to eat something? I made pasta.’

‘I’m not hungry,’ Julian says, regret in his eyes, ‘Can we keep it until later?’

‘Of course we can. Don’t worry about it. You just get better.’

‘I wanna sleep some more.’ Barry makes to leave, but Julian keeps hold of his hand. ‘Stay.’

And really, how could he go? Barry gets into bed and wraps his arms around Julian, who’s shaking and cold to the touch. The shivers subside after a while and Barry falls asleep before Julian does, grateful for his silly, heroic boyfriend.


	3. ‘Dinner is cancelled!’

3.

 

‘Dinner is cancelled!’

‘Julian, what are you talking about?’ Barry is bewildered by his boyfriend’s messy appearance: a crooked apron, flour on his hands and neck, and a suspicious smell of burning food. They’re supposed to host a family dinner in less than an hour and it looks like something’s gone wrong. A couple of things, actually.

‘I fucked up, okay? The food is ruined, I – I got nervous and it didn’t end well.’ Julian looks like he’s about to cry and Barry throws his arms around him. ‘It’s fine, I promise.’

‘Barry, it is _not_ fine, your family is gonna be here soon and we have nothing to feed them!’

‘Everyone who’s coming is on Team Flash – trust me, we’ve dealt with a lot worse than a dinner whipped up last minute. Tell me what you need. I’ll have it here within five seconds and I’ll help you cook, okay? We’ve got this, Jules.’

 

Julian nods thoughtfully, then begins rattling off a list of ingredients as long as Barry’s arm. Barry kisses his boyfriend and disappears, returning moments later loaded with shopping bags. ‘Do you never have to queue at the check-out?’ Julian wonders.

‘I use self check-out.’

‘That actually takes longer, love.’

‘Not the way I do it,’ Barry says with a wink. Julian rolls his eyes and gets cooking. He gives Barry instructions and it turns out it’s really very handy to have a speedster for a boyfriend. While Barry can’t speed up the actual heating process, he still gets three dishes done by the time Julian finishes with one. Dinner is ready so soon Barry and Julian have time for a quick make-out session on the couch, rudely interrupted by Joe, Iris and Wally barging in. The couple springs apart, their cheeks burning red, their lips swollen.

‘Are we interrupting?’ Wally says with a smirk.

‘No,’ Barry lies.

‘No, that’s fine,’ Julian agrees.

‘Dinner’s going to be ready in like, a second,’ Barry adds, jumping up and speeding into the kitchen.

 

The evening proves a moderate success. The Wests are complimentary about the food but the atmosphere isn’t quite as it should be. Iris is distracted by a difficult article she’s working on. Wally is studying hard because he’s got exams coming up. Joe refuses to tell them what he’s thinking about so everyone assumes it’s his sort-of girlfriend, Cecile. Julian and Barry hold hands underneath the table like they’re teenagers. There’s a certain regret in Iris’s eyes when she spots it, which makes Barry feel guilty so he lets go of Julian’s warm fingers.

 

It’s not even eleven o’clock when everyone leaves. Julian and Barry discuss the evening while doing the dishes and clearing up the living room. Not that there’s all that much to discuss. ‘Are you and Iris okay?’ Julian asks. Barry shrugs. ‘I think so? It’s weird because we were together for a bit. She seems happy for us when we talk, but I guess it still upsets her sometimes.’ Julian nods thoughtfully, wiping down the kitchen counter and turning off the light. ‘Bed?’ he says. ‘Yes, please,’ Barry replies, putting an arm around Julian’s waist as they head down the hall.

 

Barry never wears more than boxers in bed, making Julian feel ridiculously overdressed in his winter pyjamas. He blames Barry’s powers. Not that it upsets him to have his half-naked boyfriend snuggling with him every night. Barry rolls over on top of Julian, kissing him warmly. ‘Thanks for fixing dinner,’ Julian whispers into his mouth.

‘Any time,’ Barry says with a smile, ‘Goodnight, Jules.’

‘Goodnight, love.’


	4. Being on Team Flash paints a target on Julian’s back.

4.

 

Like it or not, being a known member of Team Flash paints a target on Julian’s back. Especially since Julian likes to investigate leads by himself in spite of Barry’s warnings about danger. Julian has military training and a gun, and he’s been sparring with Cisco when they have some time to kill. He’s learnt how to fight people with powers. He can handle himself. Nevertheless, there are moments when things go wrong. Julian’s not always at the top of his game, and he’s still more the team’s science man than their back-up fighter.

 

So those panic buttons Cisco installed on the team’s phones are really paying off. Julian slams his just before a woman with some kind of superstrength knocks him out. Barry’s there before he hits the ground. He cradles Julian in his arms and runs him home, returning in time to capture the meta. When she’s safely in Joe’s custody, Barry goes home to look after his boyfriend, who’s curled up in bed, their cat asleep at his feet. Caitlin’s with him. ‘He’s okay,’ she tells Barry, ‘Just let him rest.’ Barry thanks her before sinking down onto the bed next to Julian.

‘Hey, Flash,’ Julian mutters, ‘Always there to save the day, huh?’

‘You shouldn’t snark at me when you’ve been hit on the head,’ Barry says, earning him a little snort. ‘I’ll be dead before I stop snarking at you, Allen,’ Julian says, and he reaches out to take Barry’s hand. ‘Let’s go to the park when I’m better.’ Barry stares at him. ‘The park?’

‘Yes, Barry, green, trees, peace and quiet... That sort of thing.’

‘Right, sure. Um – why?’ Julian rolls his eyes, then softens under Barry’s insistent gaze. ‘Because I miss England,’ he admits, ‘The forests, the country lanes, the rolling hills, the tiny villages.’

‘I could get us to England faster than an airplane,’ Barry muses, cuddling up to Julian.

‘I know you’re fast, but there’s an ocean between here and there.’

Barry smiles, ‘You want to know a secret? I can run on water.’


	5. Julian’s been sad all day.

5.

 

Julian’s been sad all day and he won’t tell Barry why until they get home from work.

‘It’s my sister’s birthday today. Or it would have been. I feel... a lot. And I think I need... I need you to take over control for a while.’

‘Scening?’ Barry checks.

‘Yes.’

‘I need you to feel safe, Julian.’ He’s worried about the emotions playing could bring up when Julian’s already feeling vulnerable.

‘I do. I know it’s weird that I want to give up control because of what Savitar did to me. But with you it’s... it’s safe. I know you’ll stop if I need you to.’

‘Okay,’ Barry says, cupping Julian’s face in both hands and kissing him deeply. He can feel the blond man relaxing immediately, holding him close. Barry backs him up against the kitchen counter, nudging Julian gently. He takes the hint and lets Barry lift him up to sit on the worktop, wrapping his legs around Barry’s waist and pulling him in for another kiss.

 

‘You were late for work today, Julian.’ He wasn’t – Julian is _never_ late, thank you very much. An outright lie like this is how Barry starts a roleplay.

‘I’m very sorry, sir,’ Julian breathes into Barry’s mouth, ‘Can’t you overlook it just this once?’

‘The thing is, if I overlook it for you, what’s to stop others from disregarding the rules?’

‘I could make it worth your trouble, _sir,_ ’ Julian says, sliding his hand down to undo Barry’s belt buckle. Barry grabs his wrist to stop him. ‘You won’t get off that easily.’ Julian takes note of the double entendre there. ‘You think if you behave like a slut I’ll let you get away with it?’

‘It worked last time,’ Julian smirks, earning him a painfully tweaked nipple. ‘Shut your pretty mouth,’ Barry says, kissing him and pulling off his shirt. ‘Don’t crinkle it,’ Julian says when Barry throws his most expensive dress shirt on the floor without a care in the world. Barry growls, grabs hold of Julian’s wrists and drags him off the counter only to slam him into the nearest door. Julian gasps when Barry’s mouth meets his neck, teeth and all. His boyfriend knows exactly what to do – knows how to stay on the right side of the line between hurting and harming. They never talk about who Barry learnt this from. When Julian asks, Barry just says he read a lot. It doesn’t matter, anyway. What matters is that he has a brilliant boyfriend who’s not afraid to take responsibility. Barry’s hands are hot on his chest and back, caressing and occasionally scratching his skin. Julian loves it when Barry marks him, loves looking at the scratches and bruises that remind him of what they did.

 

Before long, Julian finds himself with his wrists strapped to their bed while Barry tickles him with a goddamn _feather_ , teasing him until he’s no more than a whimpering mess begging Barry to fuck him.

 

Barry straddles his chest and touches the tip of his cock to Julian’s lips. And he wants to, desperately wants to open his mouth and let Barry take his pleasure. But suddenly it’s all too much, the weight of Barry on his chest, the leather straps on his wrists, his complete and utter lack of control. Julian no longer feels turned on, he just feels like he can’t breathe, panic taking over his brain. So he does the only thing he can do.

 

‘R-rain,’ Julian chokes out. Barry freezes upon hearing their safeword and has him untied within a millisecond. Bless his superspeed. Barry wraps Julian up in his arms. ‘Okay, baby, it’s okay, Jules, you’re safe.’

Julian bursts out in tears. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Barry.’

‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.’

‘I thought I could but –’

‘Julian, listen to me.’ Barry holds his gaze for a long moment. ‘You don’t need to apologise. Something went wrong, you became overwhelmed, that’s what safewords are for. I want to know _what_ went wrong so I can prevent hurting you in the future, but you need to catch your breath first. Can you do that for me?’ Julian nods, taking deep breaths, slowly calming down in Barry’s arms.

‘What happened?’ Barry asks eventually, and it’s the most important question in the world to them right now. They’ve played rough before, rougher than this. If Barry did something to trigger Julian’s panic, he needs to know.

‘I wanted you to take over. To make me forget. Emma’s death, Savitar, Alchemy. It was working at first.’ Barry nods. ‘But?’ he prompts. ‘But then I panicked. You kneeling over me like that... I realised I was trapped, I wasn’t in control and... I couldn’t bear it.’

‘I’m sorry, Julian.’

Julian shrugs. ‘I’ll be okay, just... we may have to renegotiate for next time we do this.’

‘First thing tomorrow,’ Barry says. Julian scoffs. ‘What, at the breakfast table?’

Barry laughs. ‘It’s good to see you being sarcastic. Now let’s get some sleep.’ Julian crawls deeper into his arms, soaking up Barry’s heat and dozing off slowly.


	6. 'I had that, Allen!'

6.

 

Julian is perfectly prepared to admit he’s currently in the dodgy end of town chasing a lead. He could, perhaps, be persuaded to admit it’s not wise to be here alone after nightfall. But under no circumstances will he admit to needing Barry to save his ass.

So he snaps, ‘I had that, Allen!’ and Barry rolls his eyes and says, ‘Sure you did.’

 

Julian headed out here in the late afternoon, tailing a suspect. He occasionally has trouble with leaving the actual policing to Joe and the CCPD. It’s not that he thinks he’s better at doing their job. It’s just that Julian’s scientific mind sometimes makes connections that the police doesn’t and when that happens, well, it’s only natural that he prefers to investigate himself.

 

He’s only a costume away from being a rogue vigilante, Cisco said last week. ‘ _Absolutely not!’_ Julian and Barry had exclaimed in unison.

 

It looks like his hunch hasn’t paid off this time, though. He’s in a dark alleyway observing a place he believes to be the most recent safehouse used by a woman named Vivian Stone, a meta ridiculously hard to track because she can change her appearance at the drop of a hat. She started out as no more than a conwoman, playing tricks to cheat people out of money. Once she got her powers she upped her game, turning into people whose credit cards she’d stolen, imitating the rich and famous to get free entry to parties and free food at restaurants. They’ve never seen her harm anyone physically. All in all – not a hardboiled criminal, which puts her very low on the CCPD’s list of priorities.

 

But Julian has a bit of spare time, so he’s taken up her case. The trail runs to this address but no further for now. There’s neither light nor movement in the house.

 

His phone vibrates with a text from Barry. _Where are you?_ Julian quickly replies, _Woolton Street, nothing happening._

 

But then something does happen. He hears a voice and a chill runs down his spine.

 

‘What’s a pretty boy like you doing out here all alone, then?’ Julian spins round to face a burly man with a sickening grin on his face. The man strikes fear into Julian’s heart immediately, a primal, irrational fear. He becomes determined not to show it, straightens his back and meets the man’s cold eyes head-on. ‘I don’t see how it’s any of your business.’

 

The man laughs. ‘Out looking for trouble, are you?’ He creeps closer to Julian slowly, like he’s something straight out of a nightmare. Julian’s hand twitches towards his gun, he tries to calculate the amount of time it would take him to get to his car, the angle he would need to hit this man from to knock him out. But his fear is playing tricks on his mind. The man crowds him up against the wall of the alley and this is definitely not a good position to start a fight from.

 

Then the man’s hands are slamming his wrists into cold stone, and Julian’s survival instinct kicks in. He fights like an animal, bites and hits and kicks every part of the man he can reach. The element of surprise gives him the upper hand long enough for Barry to run in and punch Julian’s attacker like he wants to throw him into another universe.

 

‘I had that, Allen!’

‘Sure you did.’

 

They stare each other down for a long moment, until Barry says, ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yes. I – how did you know –’

‘I didn’t,’ Barry says, ‘I came over to keep you company.’

‘Oh. Well – good.’

 

Julian is in Barry’s arms in the next moment, breathing hard, shaking, whispering, ‘Thank you,’ over and over. ‘It’s okay, everything’s fine, Jules. I’ve got you.’

‘I thought...’ Julian’s eyes are wide with unspoken fears.

‘I know,’ Barry says softly.

‘I love you,’ Julian says. Barry gives him a sad little smile, eyeing the bruise forming on his boyfriend’s cheekbone. ‘I love you too. Now let’s go home.’


End file.
